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Your body loses fluid, your brain shrinks. It starts pulling away from your skull, causing the membranes to stretch. Then comes the intense pain... It might sound like something from a horror movie but it's not.

It's actually a common occurrence for many people if they don't drink enough water. And it's one of many creepy explanations featured on the Stories After Dark TikTok account. The page is packed with facts to make your skin crawl and the hair on the back of your neck stand on end. It's the type of content that might have you wanting to look away but getting so engrossed that you keep scrolling anyway.

Bored Panda has put together some of the best posts for you to scroll through if you're sick of getting enough sleep, or just want to give your brain a bit of a fright.

#1

A dark forest path at night, highlighting a creepy story about a missing child and a bear.

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Sarah Belt
Community Member
2 months ago

Awww, that's sweet of the bear

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    #2

    Scary facts: A scary fact about lack of sleep causing the brain to shut off, leading to sleepless nights.

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    Sarah Belt
    Community Member
    2 months ago

    It doesn't "shut off." It takes a micro nap because you're exhausted.

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    #3

    Scary facts: A creepy fact about feeling watched even when alone, with a dark, foreboding forest as background for a sleepless night.

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    Ace
    Community Member
    Premium
    2 months ago

    Third Man Syndrome, often reported by solo explorers or survivors, like someone is walking with them and keeping watch over them May sound creepy about but it's not normally perceived as threatening, more like a protective companion.

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    #4

    A dark, eerie tunnel with train tracks and a disturbing fact about the human body.

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    Panda Kicki
    Community Member
    2 months ago

    Yes, often in the form of projetile p**p vomitimg. Happens sometimes in senior care if staff has been neglient on residents constipations.

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    #5

    Scary facts and creepy stories: Mummified body of a 7-year-old found in an abandoned apartment.

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    Lukas (alt)
    Community Member
    2 months ago

    Alivia Jordan. She was autistic and had a seizure disorder, and her mother just left the apartment and never came back. The little girl wasn't found until months later, and the cops were apparently called multiple times before they found her body.

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    #6

    Scary facts: A creepy story about a rare disease causing loss of sleep, a scary fact for sleepless nights.

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    TotallyNOTAFox
    Community Member
    2 months ago

    "Fatal Familial Insomnia"

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    #7

    Scary facts and creepy stories: People buried alive with scratch marks inside coffins.

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    Bouche and Audi and Shyla, Oh My!
    Community Member
    2 months ago

    Before formaldehyde, some rich people were buried with a string that led to a bell in the cemetery office. If the person woke, they were supposed to pull the string, ringing the bell. Edgar Allen Poe wrote a short story about a cemetery night guard. He was in the office, and the bell began to ring.

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    #8

    A shadowy forest path at night, with a creepy fact about stress and sleepless nights overlaying the image.

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    Mama Oddling
    Community Member
    2 months ago

    Totally not stressful to think about. /s

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    #9

    A dark, dense forest path with a creepy fact about people disappearing in the Amazon Rainforest.

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    All Things Vibes
    Community Member
    2 months ago

    Watch the documentary about the tree children lost and found in the Colombian manigua. It was a miracle they managed to found them, literally. The whole story is like a movie script.

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    #10

    A mysterious, dark outdoor scene at night, featuring a creepy fact, perfect for scary stories and sleepless nights.

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    Bob Brooce
    Community Member
    2 months ago

    That's not creepy, but it is potentially very useful for financial reasons.

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    #11

    A dark forest scene with text revealing a creepy fact about doctors binding books with human skin. Scary facts.

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    Partypants
    Community Member
    2 months ago

    Do you have to moisturize it?

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    #12

    A shadowy, terrifying figure with a gaping, toothy mouth, illustrating a creepy fact about sleep paralysis.

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    Controlled Insanity
    Community Member
    2 months ago

    The freaking picture in the background of this message. 😲😵‍💫🤯

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    #13

    A dark, eerie forest path, illuminated by a faint light, creating a creepy story atmosphere for sleepless nights.

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    Lukas (alt)
    Community Member
    2 months ago

    I mentioned this earlier under the post claiming that Amber Alerts were named after "the first person to get reported missing/kidnapped." Etan was one of the reasons missing children's photos were printed on the side of milk cartons.

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    #14

    A dimly lit, unsettling forest path, enhancing the mood for scary facts and creepy stories on sleepless nights.

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    Black Cat
    Community Member
    2 months ago

    Many of these would be missing by choice surely?

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    #15

    Scary facts: text over a dark, eerie forest path at night, sharing a creepy story about pets after d***h.

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    Lukas (alt)
    Community Member
    2 months ago

    I've never cared about this. If it keeps my cats alive until my body is found, then let them eat me.

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    Never miss a story that brings joy to the world. Add us on Google

    #16

    A dark, mysterious forest path at night with a creepy fact about unexplained sounds in homes.

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    Linda Lee
    Community Member
    2 months ago

    I heard noises and called an exterminator. He found shoe prints in my crawl space. I changed the locks, put sticks in the windows to keep them from opening, and changed the code to the garage door. No more noises.

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    #17

    A dark, foggy playground at night with a scary fact about Capgras delusion for sleepless nights.

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    Bouche and Audi and Shyla, Oh My!
    Community Member
    2 months ago

    Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get you.

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    #18

    A dim, winding forest path with an inset image of John Edward Jones stuck in a cave, a creepy story.

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    Balseraph
    Community Member
    2 months ago

    It was deemed far too dangerous to retrieve his body. So they came to an agreement that they would collapse the cave to act as a tomb and prevent anyone else from delving there.

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    #19

    A dark figure with glowing eyes appears in a room, illustrating scary facts and creepy stories.

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    Bouche and Audi and Shyla, Oh My!
    Community Member
    2 months ago

    I'm always being watched, just in case I should arbitrarily open a can of tuna.

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    #20

    Scary facts: text over a dark, mysterious forest path at night, sharing a creepy story about starvation.

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    Bob Brooce
    Community Member
    2 months ago

    Your body consuming itself is the only way to lose weight, other than liposuction or some other surgery (or becoming dehydrated). What it consumes depends on what your reserves are and how deficient your caloric intake is.

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    #21

    Scary facts and creepy stories: Five kids vanished after a house fire, witnesses saw a white van.

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    Spencers slave no more
    Community Member
    2 months ago

    That would be 5 of the Sodder children: Maurice 14, Martha 12, Louis 9, Jennie 8 and Betty 5, Christmas morning 1945. The local Fire Chief admitted to fudging the fire investigation, including planting "evidence" that the children perished in the fire, he also claimed the phone not working was because the wires melted in the fire. According to the phone line repair man, the line was cut by someone who scaled the telephone pole and reached out ~3 feet onto the wire to cut it. A local eventually confessed to cutting the line, claiming he thought it was the power line and wanted to cause a power cut. The parents hired an independent pathologist to investigate the human vertebrae found in the ruins of the property 4 years after the fire because they never believed the Fire Chief's comment that the fire completely cremated the children, and they were right. There's so much more information for anyone who wants to read the Sodder childrens disappearance theories.

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    #22

    A dark, eerie forest path with a creepy story about a serial killer for sleepless nights.

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    Howl's sleeping castle
    Community Member
    2 months ago

    Leonarda Cianciulli aka Soap-Maker of Correggio. She m******d three women because she believed that human sacrifice could keep her favorite son safe when he was drafted into World War II. The victims' remains were boiled with caustic soda to dissolve the fat, mixed in cologne, and molded into soap. For biscuits, she dried up the blood, ground it into a powder, and mixed it with other ingredients.

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    #23

    A dark, mysterious forest path, providing a backdrop for a creepy story about an unidentified man.

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    AnnaB
    Community Member
    Premium
    2 months ago

    In 2022, DNA research identified him as Carl "Charles" Webb.

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    #24

    A dark, haunting image of a forest with blurred trees, conveying a creepy fact about sleepless nights.

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    TotallyNOTAFox
    Community Member
    2 months ago

    The medical term is "Thrombosis"

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    #25

    Scary facts: A creepy fact about feeling a presence behind you in the shower, with a dark, eerie forest path for a sleepless night.

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    Michael Largey
    Community Member
    2 months ago (edited)

    Felt Presence? I thought it might be called the Norman Bates Syndrome.

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    #26

    Creepy stories: text over a dark forest path at night, revealing a disturbing fact about a faked pregnancy.

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    Lukas (alt)
    Community Member
    2 months ago

    I'm not sure which specific case this is referring to, but there's a few different cases like this, and a few where someone promised a pregnant woman baby supplies only to k​il​l her to steal the baby. It's called fetal abduction, and there are cases where the baby lived.

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    #27

    A flashlight-lit path through a dark forest with text describing a creepy fact about exploding head syndrome. Creepy facts.

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    Bored Jellyfish
    Community Member
    Premium
    2 months ago (edited)

    I’ve experienced this a few times. It happened when I was just falling asleep. It’s weird, but not a big deal.It’s bangs and explosions, not screams.

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    #28

    Scary facts: A creepy fact about serial killers keeping victims parts, set against a dark, unsettling forest image for a sleepless night.

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    DeviousOtter
    Community Member
    2 months ago

    I’m not sure I understand this one

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    #29

    Scary facts and creepy stories: Partially melted and refrozen ice cream can be deadly due to listeria.

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    Multa Nocte (she/her 8647)
    Community Member
    Premium
    2 months ago

    So just in case, no more ice cream ever for elderly people, pregnant women, and newborns. Especially newborns, since they obviously are one of the major purchasers and consumers of ice cream.

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    #30

    A blurry, dark forest scene with text explaining a scary fact about parasites living in the human brain. Scary facts.

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    Multa Nocte (she/her 8647)
    Community Member
    Premium
    2 months ago

    And they can even become secretary of health or president if they live in the US.

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    #31

    A creepy fact about dreams and the brain's inability to simulate non-existence for a sleepless night.

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    Gracie Jay
    Community Member
    2 months ago

    I don’t wake up when I d*e in a dream. I just respawn:) thanks to having night terrors for years, I learned to be aware when dreaming so I just respawn:)

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    #32

    A rainy, dark street scene with text sharing a creepy fact about the human brain remaining active after d***h. Creepy facts.

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    Bob Brooce
    Community Member
    2 months ago

    Real fact: If your heart stops and there are doctors close enough for you to hear them and you don't have a DNR they're going to spend enough time trying to get your heart started that your brain will have plenty of time to start dying before they pronounce you. If they do pronounce you it's extremely unlikely that you're going to recover and confirm hearing them do it.

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    #33

    Scary facts: A creepy story about being the only human, an imagination theory that can lead to sleepless nights.

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    🇫🇮 Goth Nurse 🇫🇮
    Community Member
    2 months ago

    We live in the worst game world. Someone playing my character is playing like sh1t.

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    #34

    Creepy stories: A creepy fact about waking up feeling watched every night, contributing to sleepless nights.

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    Linda Lee
    Community Member
    2 months ago

    I wake up at the same time every night to go ...can we say p? Pea.

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    #35

    Scary facts and creepy stories: Alien hand syndrome where a hand moves on its own.

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    Babs Ishkabibble
    Community Member
    2 months ago

    Okay, that's it. I can't take these shenanigans anymore. I'm out.

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    #36

    Scary facts: A scary fact about the unknown voices in your head, with a dark, misty forest path creating an uneasy atmosphere for a sleepless night.

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    Babs Ishkabibble
    Community Member
    2 months ago

    The only voice I hear in my head is my own. I discuss things with myself. Am I sane, or insane?

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    #37

    A dark, snowy forest path with text detailing a creepy story about hikers in the Dyatlov Pass Incident. Creepy stories.

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    Bored Jellyfish
    Community Member
    Premium
    2 months ago

    With severe hypothermia, It’s been documented that there’s hallucinations, sometimes accompanying paradoxical undressing.

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    #38

    Empty swings on a foggy, dark playground, depicting a creepy story about disappearing taxi passengers.

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    Chewie Baron
    Community Member
    Premium
    2 months ago

    There’s an episode of Unsolved Mysteries on Netflix about this.

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    #39

    A dark, unsettling forest path with a scary fact about the brain creating voices for sleepless nights.

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    hannahbahngswife
    Community Member
    2 months ago

    A few posts ago they just said that your brain cannot created voices unless triggered?

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    #40

    A dark, dense forest with text detailing a creepy story about the Fouke Monster in Texas.

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    Multa Nocte (she/her 8647)
    Community Member
    Premium
    2 months ago

    That was just Ted Cruz on a camping trip.

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    #41

    Scary facts: text over a dark, mysterious forest path at night, sharing a creepy story about staying up late.

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    hannahbahngswife
    Community Member
    2 months ago (edited)

    I feel like a lot of this depends if whether or not you are into paranormal. There was a time where I was hardcore into paranormal, binge watching every channel I could find. Subsequently I got scared and I misinterpreted every sound or shadow as some creature or something, and as the post says, making normal things feel threatening, unfortunately until now even if I do not watch paranormal channels anymore. My dad on the other hand who never got into paranormal or true crime or anything genuinely doesn't give a s**t. We both stay up late a lot, and I am the one with the brain misinterpreting everything.

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    #42

    A scary fact about dehydration causing headaches due to brain shrinkage for a sleepless night.

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    Lukas (alt)
    Community Member
    2 months ago

    "The exact reason why dehydration causes headaches is unknown. The brain does not have pain receptors. A dehydration headache is possibly triggered by pain receptors in the lining around the brain, called the meninges. When a person is dehydrated, fluid can shift out of the brain, exerting traction on the meninges, which could stimulate the pain receptors. Another possible explanation is the exaggerated response you might feel to any type of pain when you are dehydrated."

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    #43

    A dark forest with trees illuminated by a single light, highlighting a creepy fact about self-perception.

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    StarCrossedFriday
    Community Member
    2 months ago

    But...mirrors are reversed, sure, but photos aren't...? Either way, I can only hope that the version everyone else sees isn't what I see - especially in photos 😬

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    #44

    Scary facts: A creepy story about people hiding since 2012, unaware the world didn't end, a scary fact.

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    Lukas (alt)
    Community Member
    2 months ago

    From a quick search, the only source for this "fact" is other Tiktoks and "scary" Youtube channels.

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    #45

    A long, dark, and unsettling hallway with a creepy fact about the human immune system.

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    Ace
    Community Member
    Premium
    2 months ago

    Not again please. Seems like we have to explain why this is wrong every few days now.

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    #46

    A scary fact about human lifespan limits and the body shutting down for a sleepless night.

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    TotallyNOTAFox
    Community Member
    2 months ago

    We know the limiter - They are called "Telomeres", basically protective end caps for our chromosomes. They get shorter with each cell division and if they get too short the cell will stop reproducing itself

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    #47

    A dark, mysterious forest path with a scary fact about human ears and unknown sounds for sleepless nights.

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    Cin
    Community Member
    2 months ago

    Someone was high

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    #48

    A dark, eerie hospital hallway with a wheelchair, illustrating a scary fact about shell shock and PTSD.

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    Scarlett O'Hara's Ghost
    Community Member
    2 months ago

    No. Not similar to. Exactly like PTSD because that's what it is!

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    #49

    Creepy stories: text over a dark forest path at night, revealing a scary fact about the origin of the Amber Alert.

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    Lukas (alt)
    Community Member
    2 months ago

    "The Amber alert was created in reference to 9-year-old Amber Rene Hagerman, who was abducted in Arlington, Texas, on January 13, 1996, and found m​u​rd​ered four days later." She was hardly the first reported missing child. Another prominent missing child who was one of the reasons missing photos were printed on the side of milk cartons was Etan Patz who went missing on the way to the schoolbus in 1979.

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    #50

    A dimly lit forest path at night with a scary fact about a three-legged creature.

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    Black Cat
    Community Member
    2 months ago

    Sounds like a poor animal with a foot missing from a gin trap.

    #51

    A foggy, dark forest path, emphasizing a scary fact about the brain ignoring internal sensations.

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    Bob Brooce
    Community Member
    2 months ago

    Real fact: Your entire existence happens in your brain. It's impossible for any of your organs (including your skin) to itch if your brain doesn't make you feel itchy because itchy is simply the brain's response to certain stimuli.

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    #52

    Scary facts: A creepy fact about hearing your name called, with a dark, shadowy forest path in the background for a sleepless night.

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    Theresa Aube
    Community Member
    2 months ago

    Your brain can and will make up noises, it's called auditory hallucination. Its not dangerous on its own but can be a sign of mental illness or stress

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    #53

    A dark, eerie forest path, setting the mood for a scary fact about a near-earth plasma ball.

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    Howl's sleeping castle
    Community Member
    2 months ago

    Such an exaggeration! Yes Sun did eject a multi-billion-ton cloud of magnetized plasma but the CME missed earth not because 'something shifted our planet out of the way' , it missed because Earth had simply moved ahead in its standard orbital path, by 9 days. Also the erupting region of the Sun was pointing away from earth. And even if it would have hit us, it would not have k****d everything. Like all solar storms it would have impacted the communications systems and that would have crashed the economy.

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    #54

    A scary fact about ignored spam calls possibly being missing persons for a sleepless night.

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    Maudelin
    Community Member
    2 months ago

    Why wouldn't they just call 911?

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